Dragons
Origins In the not-too-terribly-distant past, wendigos were the absolute lords and masters of the surface world. Most intelligent humanoids were nomadic, moving from region to region to escape the Eternal Hunger, and only banded together in small groups; it would be impossible for large troops to hide themselves. The details have been lost in the dust of time, but what is known is that a cabal of preeminent mages, shamans and scholars had assembled deep in the labyrinthine belly of a mountain where no wendigo could tread. There, they worked to build a weapon that could eradicate the wendigos and make the world safe for all humanoids. It took them decades, but the result was everything they had hoped for. They called it dragons. The original ritual of creating a dragon is a mystery, although there is one ironic fact that is common knowledge: just like wendigos used to be humans, dragons used to be various humanoids except humans. Their horrifying transformations turned them into winged, reptilian behemoths that swept down from the heavens and tore into their nemeses, the wendigos. The unexpected power of the dragons took the wendigos by surprise. Consequently many of them were killed, changing the landscape where they fought and ultimately perished. This resulted in a peaceful land where people could settle down and build their lives in peace. Such had been the threat of the Eternal Hunger that the different cultures and even different races managed to coexist without too many problems, relieved that after countless centuries they would no longer have to fear for their lives with every breath they took. This primitive social contract would later form the foundation of the Republic, the dominant political entity of the continent. The dragons, having a full understanding of their power, grew complacent and arrogant after the wendigo threat had been dealt with. Some even tried to crown themselves as leaders of the people they had freed. Others, however, understood the burdensome responsibility they carried and opposed these would-be ‘dragon kings.’ These issues began to cause a rift in the bond that all dragons shared. Things worsened when tiny, hitherto hidden, flaws in the arcane ritual that had created the dragons began to grow and fester, severely affecting their bodies, minds and even their arcane talents. Some of them went mad and attacked settlements, necessitating their own kind to intervene and put them down. Those who survived and remembered why they had been created flew away towards the distant wilderness, not wanting to put people in danger. The period of growing conflicts between dragons and their unpredictable, dangerous changes was dubbed the ‘Draconic Decline’ by scholars and developed throughout several centuries. It came at an official end when the last confirmed dragon sighting had been recorded ten years prior. Today No dragons currently reside within or near the borders of the Republic, although there have been sightings of them by fur trappers and explorers in the Western Territories and elsewhere. As can be expected, dragons are a topic about which everyone has a strong opinion. Some fervently hope the dragons will return to the Republic and help by annihilating all the wendigos once and for all; they had done it before and they can do it again. Others say dragons betrayed all humanoid races. Others still say that dragons are evil abominations and should be destroyed, that they are no different from wendigos at all. Generally speaking, people in the Republic know only too well that the dragons are the reason that they can live in peace. Without them, they would still be hiding from wendigos. People in the Western Territories, where wendigos still roam, tend to be more bitter and hostile about them. Descendants ‘Life finds a way,’ a scholar once said. Although dragons were brought into existence by arcane ritual, they have quickly evolved so that they can reproduce in a natural reptilian manner. This does not always appear to succeed, however, as the circle of diamond-crusted petrified dragon eggs in one of the Republican capital’s museums shows. The cause of this failure is unknown. It should come to little surprise that dragons, with their immense powers and magical abilities, would sometimes feel the need to take on the shape of the humanoid form from which they were created and return to their people. Sometimes these ventures led to friendships, relationships and children. The offspring of humanoid and dragon fall in three categories: The first category looks like a normal humanoid and has no traces of their draconic heritage in them. They live a normal life and might not be aware at all that one of their parents – or more distant ancestors – had been a dragon. In a way, they are the fortunate ones. The second category looks like a normal humanoid throughout the first stages of their lives, although their blood holds the immense powers and secrets of dragons. Many of them only realise this when they are plunged in an emotional crisis of some kind in their puberties and the pent-up energy bursts out of them with usually destructive consequences. Some babble for days in Draconic, the ‘language’ that was supposedly used to perform the original ritual and has since then been used by many mages to codify their spells and experiments. As these people grow up and apply themselves to further unlocking the mysteries of their blood, they slowly turn into dragons themselves: their skin hardens and is replaced by scales, eventually they grow wings etc. The third category is known as the Dragonborn: their draconic heritage is evident from birth. They are born with sharp teeth, or with patches of brightly coloured scales, or with skin that feels scorching to the touch. By the time they reach adulthood, only the vaguest physical characteristics of their humanoid selves remain. Instead, scales cover their bodies and their faces are twisted in reptilian snouts. A Dwarven Dragonborn, for instance, will still be stocky and may have a frill underneath their chin like a bearded lizard, but they are no longer Dwarves. Category:Creatures Category:Races __NOEDITSECTION__ __NONEWSECTIONLINK__